Quenya 

-stir

suffix. face

An element meaning “face” in the name Carnistir “Red-Face” (S. Caranthir), derived from primitive ✶stīrē (PM/353; VT41/10). Its form as an independent word would mostly likely be ✱síre (Classical Quenya þíre), but that would conflict with sírë “river” in spoken Quenya (Tarquesta). There are a number of other Quenya “face” words attested, such as cendelë, so it is probably safer to use one of these for purposes of Neo-Quenya.

Cognates

  • S. thîr “face, face, [N.] look, expression, countenance”

Derivations

  • stīrē “face”
    • STIR “face”
    • TIR “watch (over), look at, observe, gaze at, watch (over), look at, observe, gaze at; [ᴹ√] guard”

Element in

anta

face

anta (2) noun "face" (ANA1, VT45:5). Cf. cendelë.

cendelë

noun. face, face, *visage

A word for “face” in the Ambidexters Sentence of the late 1960s (VT49/8). Patrick Wynne suggested it is likely an abstract noun formation from the verb cenda- “watch, observe”, and hence similar in origin to English/French “visage” which likewise originated from a Latin verb meaning “to see” (VT49/21). Earlier “face” words ᴱQ. alma and ᴱQ. yéma have similar derivations, as pointed out by Patrick Wynne.

Element in

Elements

WordGloss
cenda-“to watch (intensively), observe (for some time); to read”
-lë“abstract noun, adverb”

Variations

  • kendele ✧ VT49/21

canwa

face

#canwa (2) noun "face", isolated from canwarya ("k") *"his face", evidently an ephemeral form Tolkien abandoned in favour of cendelë, q.v. (VT49:21; see VT49:34 regarding uncertainties as to the manuscript reading)

canwa

noun. face

A word appearing as kanwarya in one of the drafts of the Ambidexters Sentence, apparently a 3rd-sg possessive form meaning “✱his face” (VT49/6, 21). Patrick Wynne suggested it might be derived from √KAT “shape” as in katmā > kanwa, patterned after Latin “faciēs” which also originally meant “shape”. It seems the n in this word was revised, but what the change was intended to be is unclear. Tolkien eventually revised this word to cendelë, so canwa was probably abandoned.

Derivations

  • KAT “shape, shape, [ᴹ√] make”

Element in

cendelë

face

cendelë noun "face" (VT49:21)

nívë

noun. face

A neologism for “face” coined by Petri Tikka in PPQ (PPQ) from the early 2000s, derived from the root ᴹ√NIB “face, front”, but I see no reason not to use attested [ᴹQ.] anta or cendelë “face” for that purpose for that purpose.

Derivations

  • ᴹ√NIB “face, front”
Quenya Group: Eldamo - neologism/reconstructions. Published by